In need of a crowd pleaser

I was recently asked to brew up about 10 gallons of "good" beer for my friends wedding. My idea of "good" beer might not be what a crowd of Bud Light drinkers think is good beer though, so I need a recipe that will please the crowd. Let me know what you think, right now I am set up to brew about 10 gallons at a time.

cream ale. straight up.

I recently scored a hit with this one:

West Coast Pilsner

All my BMC drinking friends have loved it so far. It was an extract batch, but could easily be converted to All-Grain.

I plan on trying this similar All Grain version very soon.
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5 gal batch (double for 10 gal)

Grains:
6lb 2-row
1lb Honey Malt
1lb Carapils

Hops:
.25 oz Chinook (60min)
.5 oz Cascade (20min)
.5oz Cascade (flameout)

Safelager-23 yeast

Target OG at 75% eff. - 1.041
Expected Final Gravity - 1.011
Expected ABV - 4.0%
Expected IBU - 15
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Basically the BMC crowd is going to like anything with a low gravity, golden color, and lightly hopped.

Assuming the wedding is sometime in the summer or early fall, nothing beats a wheat beer when the weather's hot. It shouldn't be too "out there" for most people either.

5 gal batch

Grains:
4lb 2-row
4lb Pale Wheat
12oz Munich
8oz Caravienna
1.5lb Flaked Rye

Hops:
.5 oz Sterling (60min)
.5 oz Sterlnng (30min)
.5 oz Sterling (10min)
.5 oz Stering (5min)
.5 oz Cascade (flameout)

Wyeast American Wheat 1010

Target OG at 70% eff. - 1.048
Expected Final Gravity - 1.012
Expected IBU - 28

Protein Rest: 133F for 30min
Sacchrafication Rest: 153F for 60 min

Ferment @ 65F

I'd do BierMuncher's Blue Moon cloner.

I think two 5 gallon batches are in order. Mix it up. For instance, 5 gal of stout or porter, and 5 gal of pale. This will please a larger portion of the crowd and allow for black and tans (always a crowd pleaser). Or... make 10 gallons on imperial IPA and call me afterwards to help dispose of the leftovers

I find that an original bitter will often woo BMC drinkers and please even the largest EAC. Thats what I brewed for my wedding rehearsal and it was a hit. Here's that recipe (10g):

14# English Pale
1.5# Crystal 90
0.5# Special Roast 50

mash at 152

75 minute boil and three additions of EKG

2.4 oz at 60m
1.0 oz at 30m
1.0 oz at flameout

I used some Irish Moss too

I pitched with Wyeast 1968 and was very happy with the results.

Maybe that would be a good one.

Dude said:

I'd do BeirMuncher's Blue Moon cloner.

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Thanks Dude.

Always a good choice.

The Belgian Blonde is a real fav with the "chics" too. Light. Bright. Low IBU's and very sneakily about a 5.6% brew.

I had a request for a "coors lite-type beer" for my sister's wedding. Folks were raving about the kolsch I delivered.

I would go with a wheat beer. Something light and fuity. The Blue moon clone would be a good one.

Kegs of my Haus Pale Ale have been to many parties and they always come back empty.

BCB Haus Pale Ale

I was thinking Biermuncher's Litehaus wheat....I haven't made it yet, but if it is like Boulevard Wheat like he says (which I am sure it is) that will be a big hit. We had a 1/2 bbl of Boulevard Wheat at my wedding and it went a lot faster than the Bud Light.

All of these suggestions are good, but remember the brewpub motto, "the amber ale will always sell."

are you brewing all grain or extract???and how huch time do you have till the BIG day?
JJ

+1 for Edworts' Haus Pale Ale, it is a very nice, mellow pale ale. Appeals to many different levels of beer drinker. Also, I would think that a Kolsch would be very appropriate.

Cheers

Here is the list for my sisters wedding, 10 gallons each.

Oatmeal Stout

Kolsch

Octoberfest

American Pale Ale

Something for everyone!!

I wouldn't bother. I'm brewing for a wedding next month and I'm brewing for ME ,selfish I know, and I don't care 1 little bit. I'm brewing a pale ale. a oatmeal ale, a sort of New Castle Brown Ale and some Apfelwein.

And I'm also taking a bunch of commercial brew for the BMC crowd let em drink the stuff they like. BMC has brewing swill down to a science why try to compete with that crap?

my $0.02.

I haven't been brewing for very long but by far this hefeweizen was the biggest crowd pleaser:
(for 5 gallon batch size)
5.3lbs Wheat
2.4lbs Pils
2.4lbs Munich
4oz Crystal

0.75oz tettnanger 60 minute boil

White labs hefeweizen IV (WLP380)

bulk primed with Briess pilsen DME 400grams for 5 gallons

I used strong bottles to allow for the higher carbonation. It fermented at around 68 - 70 F so the yeast created more fruity flavors than the spicy phenolic wheat beer flavor. It came out a little maltier than I expected but the higher carbonation helped balance it, over all it was very good and every one who tried loved it. the people who tasted it included a lot of bud lite drinkers and people who just drink the cheapest beer they can find.

I'm looking to do an all-grain recipe, but hey extract would be easier....anything will work. I have the equipment for both types so bring on the recipes!

I've had quite a few BMC drinkers raving about a blonde ale I have made, I've also helped some new brewers in the club with an extract version of it because they fell in love with it. It came out a bit higher gravity (1.063) last time I made it because I had an unexpectedly high (81% efficiency), so lowering the amount of 2-row would be fine. It should be around 1.058 OG with about 25 IBU.

"Hey Blondie!"

Grain:

11.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
.50 lbs. Honey Malt
.50 lbs. Crystal 10 or 20L

Hops:

0.75 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 60 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.6 60 min.
1.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 20 min.
0.30 oz. Cascade Whole 5.60 5 min.
0.50 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 1 min.

White Labs WLP051 California Ale V

Mash at 152f

EdWort said:

Kegs of my Haus Pale Ale have been to many parties and they always come back empty.

BCB Haus Pale Ale

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+1 to the HPA - it's a great beer.

Another vote for EdWort's Haus Pale!

LBrewski said:

I've had quite a few BMC drinkers raving about a blonde ale I have made, I've also helped some new brewers in the club with an extract version of it because they fell in love with it. It came out a bit higher gravity (1.063) last time I made it because I had an unexpectedly high (81% efficiency), so lowering the amount of 2-row would be fine. It should be around 1.058 OG with about 25 IBU.

"Hey Blondie!"

Grain:

11.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
.50 lbs. Honey Malt
.50 lbs. Crystal 10 or 20L

Hops:

0.75 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 60 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.6 60 min.
1.00 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 20 min.
0.30 oz. Cascade Whole 5.60 5 min.
0.50 oz. Willamette Pellet 4.1 1 min.

White Labs WLP051 California Ale V

Mash at 152f

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that looks like a Jamill recipe?? cant go wrong there
JJ

Jaybird said:

that looks like a Jamill recipe?? cant go wrong there
JJ

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Yes, though I added the Cascade. His blonde recipe in Brewing Classic Styles is different - no honey malt, WLP001 yeast; a friend brews it and it's great as well.

Belgium White

Jim Karr said:

Another vote for EdWort's Haus Pale!

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+1 on that